A Pinch of Moonlight

  Chapter 8. A Spell From a Smell

  Vicky paused for a moment before stepping onto the pavement, to close her eyes and try to massage the up-too-early-in-the-morning headache from her temples. Being up and outside at 6.30 on a Sunday morning was inhuman! But, at this time of day there was no-one else around. Her parents and the neighbours were safe in bed, in the brief hours when the party animals were finally asleep and the early birds just starting to stir.

  Vicky had told her parents she was going to start running early in the mornings to maintain her fitness levels. Everyone knew Vicky wasn’t an early bird, and Vicky hoped that would be a good enough reason to give up after a few days. But here she was, in yoga pants, vest top and trainers, preparing to run along the lane, through the field, across the motorway bridge, and to Aelwen’s grove. Once she got going it was okay – quite exhilarating – but she didn’t expect it to become a habit. She had to look carefully to find the signs of the grove, but once she was next to it Aelwen sensed her and dropped the cloak. Vicky was grinning as she pushed her way through the greenery into the clearing, where Aelwen was waiting, soaking up the morning sunlight. Blackbird was there, too. Vicky had left him there the previous night, along with a few bananas and nuts to keep him going. He was safe from predators in the grove as the cloaking spell deterred them, too, and Aelwen had spent a few hours constructing a mini tree house for him, using her magic to encourage the branches to grow together into a cosy little shelter. Heledd was also there, apparently communicating telepathically with Aelwen.

  ‘Glad you made it. What did you tell your folks?’ Vicky asked Heledd once she’d got her breath back.

  ‘I just left a note on the fridge saying, “Gone for a dawn amble” – in Welsh, obviously.’ In Heledd’s family, that was perfectly normal.

  As well as being able to photosynthesise, it seemed Aelwen could grow new limbs at will – a sprig of greenery had sprouted from the base of her neck. Blackbird explained that Aelwen wanted this to be grafted onto the oak at the pub, so that Aelwen and the other tree could share memories. Fortunately Heledd’s family were keen gardeners, so she cut the sprig away from Aelwen, and wrapped the end in damp leaves to keep it moist.

  ‘Won’t the other tree mind us cutting into it?’ Vicky asked.

  ‘As long as we ask first, no. I will ask it,’ Blackbird replied.

  ‘You can talk to trees, huh?’ Vicky asked.

  ‘Of course.’